BOOK EXCERPT: Do vampires Each Cheeseburgers?

Hmmmm. Let's find out.
Excerpt: Midnight Reborn - The Watchers, Book One
A paranormal romance available now from Samhain Publishing


When his cheeseburger arrived, Trigg situated the plate in front of him and grabbed the ketchup. After squirting a hefty dollop of ketchup on his plate for his fries, he picked up the very rare, jumbo cheeseburger and launched in with a huge bite.

Looking up over the cheeseburger he held to his mouth, he saw the girl staring, but she wasn't staring at him. Those big, blue eyes were looking almost reverently at his cheeseburger.
Stopping in mid-chew, Trigg felt something peculiar wash over him. The look of longing he saw on her face and the pain in her eyes almost stopped his heart. Before he could blink, she had lowered her eyes back to her table and placed a hand over her mid-section. With his keen hearing he heard the long growl of her stomach.

Trigg had the powerful urge to pick up his plate, walk over and sit at her booth, and share what he had with her. He felt the need to give her anything she asked for, to feed her from his plate by hand.

Where the hell did that come from? What the hell was wrong with him? What did he care about this all too skinny girl who had the air of a kicked one-time-too-many dog?

After giving himself a mental ass-kicking, he took another bite of his cheeseburger and tried to push all thoughts, except for his delicious dinner, out of his mind.

As he finished off his meal, Trigg couldn¢t stop himself from watching the girl eat her fries. She ate slowly, intently, savoring every bite as if it were her last meal.

Though she wore a jacket, Trigg could see by her hands and wrists that she was bone thin. Her face was long and pale, making her dark blue eyes seem too big for her face. With every quick glance around her, he saw the look of fear on her face, as well as loneliness.

Loneliness was something he knew all too well, but didn¢t dwell on. In fact, he enjoyed being alone. There was no one to tell him what to do, where to go or even how to act. He relished the freedom, or did he?

His focus returning to the girl, he gave her the once over, noticing the small shirt she wore under her jacket, which was soaked from the rain. She had to be chilled, he thought, his forehead creased in a frown. Running around in the rain with her frail body would surely make any human sick. And why did that make him concerned?

Shaking off his thoughts, which were beginning to annoy him, he rose from the booth and plopped down some bills to pay for his food and a decent tip. He turned to leave, but took one more look at the troubled girl, still chewing her fries while glancing around the room.

Trigg breathed a sigh and sat back down in the booth. He sent a compulsion for the waitress to come back to his table. When she did, he pulled a twenty out of his pocket and gave explicit instructions to take a loaded cheeseburger and a big chocolate shake to the girl sitting four booths down. He also instructed the waitress to allow the girl to sit as long as she wanted and not be pressured into leaving once her meal was finished.

The waitress glanced in the direction to which he was referring and nodded. Trigg sent another compulsion to ensure his instructions were carried out and that the waitress didn't just pocket the money instead.

After the waitress left for the kitchen, Trigg stood once again, and this time he left the restaurant without daring to glance back at the girl who had captivated his attention.

He didn't question his reasons for what he had just done. In fact, he didn't want to think about it at all. He had to focus on the events at hand and needed to get back to the place he shared with three other Watchers, his Cell-mates.

Well...guess that answers it!

Find out more about Trigg and his vamp Cell-mates by downloading your copy of Midnight Reborn. Stay tuned for book two, Midnight Rose (Vane and Rosa's story) to be released December 23, 2008.

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFoKh3I3YD8


Diane McEntire
Midnight Reborn - The Watchers, Book One
Samhain Publishing